MCCHS Friday Focus

I’m Benji Winkelman, a PE teacher and Dean of Students here. As a proud graduate of Marian’s class of 1992, I’ve had the honor of working here for the past 23 years. Each Friday, we share insights and updates in our Friday Focus, and today’s theme is “Kindness.”

Kindness is a powerful force that shapes our school community in profound ways. It creates an environment where everyone feels valued and respected, and it helps to build strong, supportive relationships among students and staff. By practicing kindness, you contribute to a positive atmosphere that not only enhances your own high school experience but also fosters a sense of belonging and unity. Simple acts of kindness—whether it’s offering a compliment, lending a hand, or simply listening to someone in need—can have a ripple effect, uplifting those around you and creating a more inclusive and compassionate environment for everyone.

Furthermore, embracing kindness can significantly impact your personal growth and success. When you approach challenges with empathy and understanding, you develop stronger problem-solving skills and build resilience, qualities essential for navigating high school. By prioritizing kindness, you set a precedent for how you want to be treated and contribute to a culture of mutual respect and support. Remember, each act of kindness, no matter how small, contributes to a larger culture of goodwill that enriches our school community.

Continue to practice Kindness.

I look forward to the opportunity to get to know you and your children and to support them throughout their journey with us.

Sincerely,

Benji Winkelman

Homecoming Dance

Saturday, September 28, 2024

Dance Ticket Sales

Monday September 16 through Friday, September 20

$15 each

Marian students who plan to bring a guest from another school to the dance: The form linked below must be completed and turned in when you purchase the tickets. Please note that the form needs to be signed by the administrator of the guest's school so allow enough time for this.

Date Request Form - Non Marian Student

More Homecoming information coming soon

Reminder - 2nd Quarter OR 1st monthly tuition payment is due September 15th. Tuition statements were mailed out this week as a reminder.

Payments can be mailed to the office or paid online by clicking here.

We are proud to share that we are beginning our second year offering an opportunity for students to earn the Seal of Biliteracy for the State of IL as well as the Global Seal!

Last year, we had...

2 Seniors earned the Illinois Commendation,

5 Seniors earned the Illinois Seal of Biliteracy, and

5 Seniors earned some level of the Global Seal of Biliteracy!

Next week, Monday, Sept. 9, our juniors & seniors will be participating in an informational meeting on the Seal of Biliteracy during their advisory class. Please see the attachments below for more information about this great opportunity!

ACT Test – Mandatory for all Juniors

In the past we have used the October test date for our current Juniors to take the PSAT/NMSQT, a practice SAT test, while the freshmen and sophomores took the PreACT. What we realized is that this process did not allow us to measure student progress and growth over time.

We decided to have all Juniors take the ACT test this year on Tuesday, October 15, at 8:00am. This will help us to align and analyze data more effectively and will also provide our students with an early indicator of how they might perform on the ACT in the spring. Students will not need to register for this test, nor pay any additional fees.

This decision will help our Juniors identify the areas in which further concentration and support are needed throughout the remainder of their Junior year in preparation for the spring ACT test.

Marian Central is a test site for the ACT National Test on Saturday, April 5, 2025. More information on registration for that date will be sent out later this year.

PSAT/NMSQT Test – Optional for all Juniors

We will continue to offer our Juniors the opportunity to take the PSAT/NMSQT test, if desired. Taking this digital test gives students practice for the SAT test and provides a predicted SAT score. In addition, it is the only opportunity for our most academically gifted students to potentially qualify for the National Merit Scholarship. More information regarding the PSAT/NMSQT can be found here.

The PSAT/NMSQT will be administered on Thursday, October 24, starting at 8:00am to any juniors interested in taking the test. If you would like for your student to take the PSAT/NMSQT you must:

1. Fill out and submit this registration form.

2. Pay the $20 test fee. Payments can either be made by cash or check made out to Marian Central Catholic High school and delivered to the Guidance Office, or by credit card online at www.marian.com. There is a 4% surcharge for credit card payments. If paying online, please go to General Payments and choose Registration Fee for Payment Type. Also, when you enter your Student’s Name type “PSAT Test” after their name.

3. The registration form and payment must be received no later than Friday, September 20 to be eligible to take the test.
   

If there are any questions about either the ACT or PSAT/NMSQT, please contact Mrs. Kelly Hilton, Guidance Director at khilton@marian.com.

Our Jostens representative will be meeting with seniors on Friday, September 13th to present information on ordering caps and gowns, invitations and other items related to graduation. Please watch the video below for an intro to this presentation. A packet of information will also be handed out to each senior at the presentation so watch for that to come home!

Please click here for a preview of ordering items for Graduation.

SAVE THE DATE: Senior portraits will be taken at Marian on Tuesday, October 1st for all seniors. Please see the attire guidelines below for these portraits. A specific schedule will be shared with the students later.

NEW THIS YEAR!: In addition to being photographed in dress clothes, each senior will be photographed in a cap and gown on senior portrait day. You will then have the option to purchase this photo. Please note that this will replace the option of taking cap and gown photos on Honors Day as we have done in the past.

GROUP PHOTO: The Class of 2025 will be photographed as a class! All seniors that are present on senior picture day (Tuesday, October 1st) will take part in a posed group photo at the end of the school day. Since there will not be a retake of this photo, we are hoping all of our seniors can be present on picture day so that they are included in this special keepsake. The traditional composite with all of the senior photos will also be available for purchase.

ATTIRE GUIDELINES: Seniors will remain in their dress clothes for the entire day.

Senior Ladies

Appropriate attire on this day includes dress pants and a modest blouse or sweater that covers the shoulders. Dresses/skirts are not allowed. No nose rings/studs, facial piercing, and no more than two earrings per ear will be permitted on girls. Hair must conform to Student Handbook guidelines.

Senior Gentlemen

Gentlemen must wear a white shirt and tie, a sport coat or suit coat that is blue, black or grey and dress pants. No nose rings/studs, facial hair, facial piercing, and no earrings will be permitted on boys. Hair must conform to Student Handbook guidelines.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. DiSilvio at ldisilvio@marian.com or 815-338-4220, x107

The University of Notre Dame will be hosting an evening program for the McHenry County community in the Marian Central Catholic auditorium on Wednesday, September 11th from 7:15pm - 8:30pm. This will be a great opportunity to meet a member of their admissions team, to learn more about the University of Notre Dame, and to ask any questions you might have about the university. This event is open to all Marian Central Catholic students and parents.

While registration is not required, it is recommended. To register or for more information, please visit the ND on the Road website. Hope to see many of you there!

The annual Powder Puff event between the Junior and Senior girls will take place on Thursday, September 26th. T shirts can be ordered through the link below.

The deadline to order shirts is Monday, September 9th.

Marian Central Powderpuff Football | Sportdecals Inc. (itemorder.com)

Grandparents play an important part in our students' lives! Marian Central Catholic High School would like to celebrate and honor our grandparents for all they do and the role they play in the lives of their grandchildren. Enjoy a day dedicated to our grandparents on Wednesday, October 9! Grandparents Mass is at 10:30am, followed by light refreshments and a tour of the school. Please pass along this event and have grandparents RSVP here.

Can't attend Grandparents' Mass, but want to receive invitations to special events and the Hurricane Alert magazine? Grandparents, share your info here.

Questions? Contact Mrs. Bordeaux at kbordeaux@marian.com.

All juniors and seniors may attend these visits. Students must receive permission from their teachers to attend each visit and must sign up for all visits in SCOIR.

Monday 9/9: Arizona State University-9th Period, University of Missouri-Columbia-10th Period

Tuesday 9/10: Marian University (Indiana)-9th Period

Thursday 9/12: University of Oklahoma-10th Period

Friday 9/13: Rice University (Virtual)-4th Period, St. Mary's College (Indiana)-8th Period

Get your questions answered from over 120 colleges and universities.

𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐯𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲!

𝐄𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲-𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐭𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐎𝐟𝐟𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞'𝐬 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐁𝐚𝐫 & 𝐆𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐞.

All Marian Central families and guests are welcome!

Hosted by: Marian Central Catholic High School Boosters

Date: Sunday, September 8th
Time: 12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location: Offside's Restaurant, Woodstock

All proceeds will benefit the football team, and we guarantee a fun time for everyone!

𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐚 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬? Tickets can be purchased in advance, and you do not need to be present to win (except for the beer and wine pulls). Purchase your raffle tickets beforehand or in person and then sit back and hope your number is chosen!

Dine on your lunch and watch the football game. Raffles available for ribs, steaks, seafood, breakfast, burgers, and good ole' ballpark franks! 𝐄𝐱𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐚𝐠𝐞: "The Ribfest": 3lb pork baby back ribs, Wichita pork bacon applesmoked, mashed potatoes, and whiskey apple seasoning"

We look forward to seeing you!

Questions: mccanesfb@gmail.com

Wednesday, October 2nd - Late Start; 9:45 am start time

Friday, October 4th - 8th Grade Visit Day; No Classes

Friday, October 11th - Noon Dismissal

Monday, October 14th - Columbus Day; No School

Tuesday, October 15th - Testing Day; Early Dismissal

Thursday, October 24th - Parent/Teacher Conferences; Noon Dismissal

Friday, October 25th - Parent/Teacher Conferences; No School

Hurricanes, get ready to kick off Homecoming week with a colorful splash!

The National Honor Society will be holding its second annual COLOR RUN Sunday, September 22nd, from 3-5:15 pm. It will take place on the Marian Central Track and is open to all students, families, alumni, and faculty. Get ready to get a little messy as you run for a great cause.

The $10 fee will cover an X-Large white T-shirt to wear during the Color Run and all of the proceeds will go to the Poor Clare Nuns of Rockford. To sign up please scan the QR code or click here and fill out the google form which will hold more details! Go Canes!

Earn service hours by helping St. Mary at the Fall Fun Fair. See below for more info.